Vehicle actuated pneumatic tube system for motor banking

ABSTRACT

A pneumatic motor banking system employs a tape switch on the driveway beside the customer kiosk so that the system is activated to begin a depositing cycle by arrival of the customer&#39;&#39;s vehicle. The tape switch also deactivates the system to end the depositing cycle when the customer&#39;&#39;s vehicle drives away. Improvements in the customer kiosk itself are also disclosed in that the chamber into which the carrier arrives does not form a part of the pneumatic system and thus does not need to be sealed in order for the system to function.

United States Patent [1 1 Robinson et a1.

[451 Oct.15,1974

[ 1 VEHICLE ACTUATED PNEUMATIC TUBE SYSTEM FOR MOTOR BANKING [75]Inventors: Roland L. Robinson; Chadwick C.

Boltz; Evan P. Everson, all of Cedar Rapids; Douglas E. MacPherson,Marion, all of Iowa [73] Assignee: Walter Kidde & Company, Inc.,Clifton, Nebr.

[22] Filed: Aug. 16, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 280,990

52 us. Cl. 243/19, 243/1 51 int. Cl. 865g 51/32 58] Field of Search243/1, 19, 24, 35, 16 R,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,912,066 11/1959 Ellithorpe243/1 X 3,070,293 12/1962 Rosapepe l94/D1G. 23 3,282,531 11/1966 Stewart3,610,554 10/1971 Schwarz 243/24 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS1,139,681 1/1969 Great Britain 1. 243/19 1,473,482 6/1967 France194/D1G. 23

Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Assistant Examiner.leffrey V. NaseAttorney, Agent, or Firm--Haven E. Simmons; James C. Nemmers [5 7]ABSTRACT A pneumatic motor banking system employs a tape switch on thedriveway beside the customer kiosk so that the system is activated tobegin a depositing cycle by arrival of the customers vehicle. The tapeSwitch also deactivates the system to end the depositing cycle when thecustomers vehicle drives away. lmprovements in the customer kiosk itselfare also disclosed in that the chamber into which the carrier arrivesdoes not form a part of the pneumatic system and thus does not need tobe sealed in order for the system to function.

9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.

It is typical of many pneumatic tube systems currently in use fordrive-up banking that the customer upon arriving at the kiosk mustconsciously activate the system to begin a deposting cycle, as bypushinga button, opening a door, calling the teller and the like. Or insome cases, the teller himself mustfirst observe the customer and thenactivate the system, which of course requires him continuously to keeptrack of thearrival and departure of customers. It ispreferable,however, to have the systemmore automatic, and-so relieve the customeror the teller or both from consciously having to activate and deactivatethe system. This reduces possible confusion of both customers andtellers as well as teller fatigue. The foregoing is thus the chiefobject of the present invention which is hereafter described togetherwith other improvements and features of the customer kiosk.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order so to relieve the customer andtheteller, the depositing cycle is initatedby the arrival of the customersvehicle before the kiosk. For this purpose, a tape switch is placedacross the driveway by the kiosk so that it is contacted by the frontwheels just before the vehicle is halted in position before the kiosk.Some other vehicle actuated means could of course be used instead. Thetape switch in turn, opens a door in the kiosk to present the carrier tothe customer and begins the depositing cycle which progresses accordingto the logic of a controlling circuitry as the various steps in thecycle occur, e.g., turning on the blower to send the carrier to theteller, return of the carrier by the teller, and the like. The cycle isalso terminated by the tape switch when the rear wheels of the vehiclepass over it as the customer drives away, the system then being readyfor another depositing cycle. Another aspect of the invention is thatduring normal operation of the system the blower is energized only whenrequired to transport a carrier, thus conserving power and reducingexpense.

The kiosk itself is improved in that it includes a carrier receptaclemounted on the inner face of the door. The receptacle is part of achamber in the kiosk into which the carrier arrives through thepneumatic system and from which it is sent. However, the chamber formsno part of the pneumatic system itself and hence need not be sealed norneed the door be closed in order for the pneumatic system to function totransport a carrier.

In the cases in which a door or other device is not employed to presentthe carrier to the customer, such as where the carrier is merely storedadjacent the kiosk sending tube in view of the customer, the tape switchcould merely activate the blower or perform some other operation tobegin the deposting cycle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS structure of the system and the kiosk.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1illustrating, also somewhat diagrammat- 2 ically, other parts andstructure of the system and the kiosk.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic layout of the pneumatic system as a whole,including parts of the teller station and still others of the kiosk.

FIG. 4 is a block-flow diagram illustrating the sequence of operationsof the system during a depositing cycle.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are a schematic illustrating the electrical circuitry and,in connection with FIG. 4, the logic" of the system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED. EMBODIMENT The systemincludes a customerkiosk station KSand a teller station TS. The former comprises an overallhousing mounted on an island 10 between adjacent driveways 11 Thehousing includes a rear wall 12, end walls 13, a top wall 14, a frontwall 15, and a bottom wall 16 which mounts various parts of thepneumatic tube system including a typical blower B and a blower motorBM. A comparment or chamber 18 is formed in an upper portion of thehousing by means of the rear wall 12, top wall 14, a pair of spaced,fore and aft partition walls 19 and 20, and a floor 21 which inclinesdownwardly from the rear wall 12 part way toward the front wall 15.Access to the chamber 18 is through a door 22, hinged at 23 along itslower edge to the front wall 15, forming a portion of the front wall 15.A carrier supporting floor 24 is fixed to the lower edge of the door 22and extends rearwardly and upwardly in alignment with and in abuttingrelation to the floor 21. The door 22 and the floor 24 thus form acarrier receptacle 25 which is outwardly movable when the door 22 isopened on its hinge 23, the door 22 and the plate 24 being braced byarcuate gusset plates 26 at their ends. Intermediate its side edges, thefloor 24 is rectangularly apertured at 27, which aperture is carriedrearwardly into the abutting edge of the floor 21, for reasons whichwill later appear. The side edges of the aperture 27 in i the floor 24are provided with depending guide plates 28 which extend rearwardly justwithin the side edges of the aperture 27 in the floor 21. The receptacle25 is swung in and out by means of a reversible electric motor KMmounted in the space between the partition wall 19 and the adjacenthousing end wall 13. A crank arm 29 is fixed to the motor shaft and alink arm 30 is pivoted to the crank arm 29 and a post 31 extendinglaterally from the adjacent gusset plate 26 through. an aperture in thepartition wall 19 whose exposed face is provided with a pad 32.

The upper rear corner of the partition wall 20 is provided with acarrier receiving inlet: 35 communicating with the horizontally disposedend 36 of a pneumatic receiving tube 37 through a typical receivingvalve 38. Upstream of the latter, a conduit 39 connects the tube end 36with the blower B and a second conduit 40 connects the latter with thevertically disposed end 41 of a pneumatic sending tube 42. The tube end41 includes a sending valve 43 disposed between the conduit 40 and aflared carrier sending inlet 44 which opens up through the aperture 27in the floors 21 and 24 between the guide plates 28. The two tubes 37and 42 extend from the kiosk station KS to the teller station TS and arethere connected by a horizontal conduit 45. Just above the latter, thetube 37 emerges vertically through a receiving valve 46 to a tellersending inlet 47.

The tube 42 also emerges vertically through a receiving valve 48 justabove the conduit 45 into a vertically disposed, cylindrical receivingchamber 50 closed at its upper end and provided with a door 51, hingedat 52 along its lower edge, forming a portion of the chamber 50. Theinner face of the door 51 is equipped with a carrier arresting catch inthe form of a hinged, spring loaded plate 53 adjacent the hinge 52 whichfolds upward to permit a carrier to enter the chamber 50 but thensprings down to prevent the carrier from dropping from the chamber 50 asit is rebounded from a pad 54 at the upper end of the chamber 50. Thedoor 51 is opened and closed by an electric motor TM fitted with apitman arm 55, a link 56 being pivoted to the arm 55 and the door 51.The design of the teller station TS is quite conventional and includesother apparatus typically used at such stations which is not describedinasmuch as it plays no part in the present invention.

When the blower B is operating, forced air will be circulated throughthe tubes 37 and 42 and the connecting conduits 39, 40 and 45. Since thekiosk chamber 18 and the teller chamber 50 are not a part of the aircircuit, they need not be sealed and the operation and efficiency of thesystem is not affected by the opening of the kiosk door 22 or the tellerdoor 51. Carriers are sent and received in the usual manner through thevalves 38, 43, 46 and 48. As indicated in FIG. 4, when the motor KM isenergized upon arrival of the customers vehicle, the door 22 is sungopen and presents a carrier 60 to a customer who picks it up, startingthe blower motor BM, deposits his transaction, and dispatches thecarrier 60 through the sending inlet 44 to the teller station TS. Whenthe carrier 60 arrives in the chamber 50, the blower motor BM is turnedoff, the kiosk door 21 closes and the motor TM is energized to open theteller door 51. The teller picks up the carrier 60, receives thetransaction, and redispatches the carrier 60 through the sending inlet47, starting the blower motor BM and closing the teller door 51. Whenthe carrier 60 arrives horizontally through the kiosk receiving inlet35, it is halted by the pad 32, whereupon it falls to the floor 21 androlls down into the receptacle 25, coming to rest on the floor 24,bridging the flared sending inlet 44, whereupon the blower motor BM isturned off and the motor KM energized to open the door 22 which isthereafer closed when the customer's vehicle departs.

The electrical controls which govern the goregoing sequence include, atthe kiosk station KS, a tape switch A, operated by a tape T across thedriveway 11, open and close position limit switches B and C for thekiosk door motor KM disposed adjacent the post 31, a pressure switch Dlocated on the upper face of the carrier floor 24 and responsive to theweight of a carrier thereon, and a blower on-off switch E on the blowermotor BM. At the teller station TS are a pressure switch F located onthe teller door 51 and responsive to the presence there of a carrier,open and closed position limit switches G and H for the teller doormotor TM located on the chamber 50, and a teller send switch I locateddownstream of the teller sending inlet 47 and responsive to the sendingof a carrier 60 by the teller through the tube 37. The foregoingswitches are also indicated in FIGS. 4, and 6, the latter figuresillustrating the nature of each. FIGS. 5 and 6 also depict the variousrelays KKl-l0 located at the kiosk station KS and their contacts, andthe relays KT1-7 located at the teller station TS and their contacts.

The relays control the logic sequence of the system during a depostingcycle illustrated in FIG. 4. In addition to the relays and switchesalready identified the circuit includes, at the teller station TS,manual override switches K and L, M and N, whereby the teller canrespectively open and close respectively the kiosk door 22 and theteller door 51 independently of the circuit logic, as well as a signallamp Y and Z to indicate whether the kiosk door 22 is open and if acarrier is in the receptacle 25. A manual override switch P is locatedwithin the kiosk station KS for opening the kiosk door 22 independentlyof the circuit-logic. A 30-second delay timer is incorporated which ishalted when the customer picks up the carrier 60, resulting inenergizing the blower motor BM owing to the kiosk pressure switch D, therelay KK6 and the latters contacts. If the customer does not pick up thecarrier 60 in 30 seconds, the teller is allerted to the customerspossible need of help through activation of the relay KT5 whose contacts(not shown) sound a buzzer in the sound communication system (not shown)by which the kiosk and teller stations KS and TS are typically alsoconnected. A l-second delay timer is placed in the circuit for theteller door motor TM through the relay KT6 and its contacts in order togive the carrier 60 time to settle down in the teller chamber before thedoor 51 opens. The main power switches are also located at the tellerstation TS and provide for automatic or continuous operation of theblower B. In the case of the former, as shown particularly in FIG. 4,the blower B is turned on when the customer picks up the carrier fromthe receptacle 25, off when it reaches the teller door 51 and itspressure swtich F, on again when it is returned by the teller andactivates the teller send sritch .I, and finally off again when thecustomer drives away activating the tape switch A. Continuous operationis preferred when temperature and humidity conditions might otherwiseresult in mositure condensing in the tubes 37 and 42, especially if, asis typical, the latter run beneath the ground.

The circuit in FIGS. 5 and 6 is shown with the power off and no relaysenergized. When the circuit is initially energized by the power switchfor automatic operation and a carrier is in the receptacle 25, therelays KKl and KK6 are activated and the system is ready for a depostingcycle which begins when a customer drives over the tape T, closing thetape switch A and energizing the relay KK7. Thenceforth operation of thesystem is governed by the logic of the relays KT1-7 and KK1-10 and theswitches A-J as the steps of the depositing cycle previously describedproceed, all as will be apparent from referring to FIG. 4 in conjunctionwith FIGS. 5 and 6. Other details of the system will also be apparent tothose skilled in the art. It will be understood of course that there hasbeen shown and described only one such system and that where severalcustomers are to be served at one time an equal number of the systemsmust be installed for that purpose.

Though the invention has been described in terms of a particularembodiment, being the best mode known of carrying out the invention, itis not limited to that embodiment alone. Instead, the following claimsare to be read as encompassing all adaptations and modifications of theinvention falling within its scope and spirit.

We claim:

1. lna customer kioskstation for banking, the station having a housingand portions of a pneumatictube system including a carrier sending tubeand a carrier receivingtube, the sending tube having a carrier inlet anda sending valve downstream of the inlet with respect to thedirectionoftravel of a carrier therein, the sending valve being effective to closeoff the inlet from the tube system except when a carrier is insertedtherein for sending through the tube, the receiving tubehavingacarrier-outlet and a receiving valve upstream of the out let withrespect to the direction of travel of a carrier therein, the receivingvalve being effective to close off,

the outlet from the tubesystem except when a carrier is receivedtherefrom through the outlet, the sending and receiving tubes being.pneumatically interconnected downstream of the sending valve andupstream of "the receiving valve with respect to the direction of Atravel of a carrier in the sending andreceiving tubesfor forcedcirculation of carrier moving air throughthe systemby a blower,andanelectrical control circuit controlling sending of a carrier throughthe tube system,

thereof when the motor is energized in theopposite direction ofrotation, the receiving tube inlet being disposed in a rear portion ofone of therside walls above the floor so that a carrierreceivedtherefrom enters the chamber-in a substantially horizontal position andis halted by thefopposite side wall, whereupon the carrier rollsforwardly down'the floor towards the door and ontothe forwardfloorlpo'rtion, the carrierbeing thereafter manually removable fromthechamber when the motor is energized in its door opening direction andthe door is opemthe sending tube being generally vertically disposedwith its inlet exposed-through an aperture in the floor disposedintermediate the chamber side walls and immmediately behind the rearface of the door, whereby the chamber forms no part of the path of theair circulating through the tube system.

2. The kiosk station of claim 1 wherein the door is horizontally hingedalong a lower edge to the kiosk station for outward pivoting movementfrom a closed to an open position when the motor is energized in itsdoor opening direction, the rear portion of the floor being fixed whilesaid fowardportion thereof is secured adjacent the lower edge of thedoor for pivoting outward movement therewith, whereby a carriersupported on the forward floor portion as aforesaid is transportedoutwardly of the chamber when the door is opened as aforesaid.

3. The kiosk station of claim 2 wherein the control circuit includesfirst sensing means carried by the forward floor portion and responsiveto the presence or not of a carrier thereon and actuating meanssuccessively responsive to the arrival and departure of a cus tomersvehicle at and from the station, the first sensing means when a carrieris thereon and the actuating means together energizing the motor in itsdoor opening direction upon said arrival, the actuating means and thefirstsensing means upon redeposit. thereafter ofa carrier upon theforward floor portion by the customegi together energizing the motor inits door closingdirecf-Q tion to close the door upon said departure,theactuating means .being disposed upon a driveway before the? kioskstation and responsive to theweight of a vehicle? passing thereover.

4. The kiosk station of claim 3 wherein, afterthe motor has beenenrgized in its door opening directiori as aforesaid, the first sensingmeans upon the removal 1 iloor portion by a cusy of a:carrier from theforward tomer also enrgizesthe blower; and wherein, after re depositthereafter of thecarrier upon the forwardfloor portionrby the customer,the first sensing means and the actuating means together alsode-energize the blower upon said vehicle departure.

5. The kiosk station ofclaim 1 in combination with I a teller stationfor banking employees, the carrier send-1 ing and receiving tubesinterconnecting the kioskfand teller stations, the sending tube at theteller station hav ing a carrier inlet and a sending valve downstream ofthe inlet with respectto the direction of travel ofda car rier therein,the receiving tube at the teller station have ing a carrier outlet and areceiving valve upstreamof the outlet with respect to the direction oftravel of a carriertherein, the sending and receivingtubes at the,teller station being pneumatically interconnectedf downstream of thesending valve and upstream of the receiving valve with respect to thedirection of travelof acarrier in the sending andreceiving tubes, thesending valve at the teller station being effective to close off theinlet atthe teller station from the tube system except whena carrier isinserted therein for sending therethrough, andthe receiving valve beingeffectiveto close off the outlet at the teller station from the tubesystem except when a carrier is receivedltherefrom through the outlet;and wherein the control circuit in eludes first sensing means carried bythe forward' floor portion and responsive to the presence or notof acarrier thereon, secondsensing meaes responsive to the sending of acarrier from the kiosk tothe teller station, the first sensing meansupon removal of, thencarrier from the forward floor portion and thesecond sensing means upon the sendingthereafter of the carrier asaforesaid together energizing the motor in its doorclosing direction toclose the door and third sensing means responsive to return of thecarrier thereafter from the teller to the kiosk station, the first andthird sensing means together energizing the motor in its door openingdirection to open the door when the carrierhasarrived in the chamber andupon the forward floor portion.

6. The combination of claim 5 including customer actuated means, theactuated means when actuated by a customer and the first sensing meanswhen a carrier is thereupon together energizing the motor to openthedoor. i

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein the first sensing means, when thecarrier is removed from the forward floor portion by the customer afterthe door is opened as aforesaid, also energizes the blower.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the second sensing means, when thecarrier is sent by the customer from the kiosk station and arrives atthe teller station as aforesaid, also de-energizes the blower; andwherein the third sensing means, when the carrier is returnedto andsecond to the weight of the vehicle departing from the kiosk station,the first sensing means upon redeposit thereafter of the carrier upon"the forward floor portion by the customer and the actuated means uponsaid departure also together de-energizing the blower. l

1. In a customer kiosk station for banking, the station having a housingand portions of a pneumatic tube system including a carrier sending tubeand a carrier receiving tube, the sending tube having a carrier inletand a sending valve downstream of the inlet with respect to thedirection of travel of a carrier therein, the sending valve beingeffective to close off the inlet from the tube system except when acarrier is inserted therein for sending through the tube, the receivingtube having a carrier outlet and a receiving valve upstream of theoutlet with respect to the direction of travel of a carrier therein, thereceiving valve being effective to close off the outlet from the tubesystem except when a carrier is received therefrom through the outlet,the sending and receiving tubes being pneumatically interconnecteddownstream of the sending valve and upstream of the receiving valve withresPect to the direction of travel of a carrier in the sending andreceiving tubes for forced circulation of carrier moving air through thesystem by a blower, and an electrical control circuit controllingsending of a carrier through the tube system, the improvementcomprising: a carrier chamber in the kiosk station having a pair ofopposite side walls, an upright front door and a floor incliningdownwardly toward the door, the floor having a forward portion forsupporting a carrier in horizontal position with its long axis alongsidethe inner face of the door, an electrical motor in the control circuitoperatively connected to the door for opening thereof when the motor isenergized in one direction of rotation and for closing thereof when themotor is energized in the opposite direction of rotation, the receivingtube inlet being disposed in a rear portion of one of the side wallsabove the floor so that a carrier received therefrom enters the chamberin a substantially horizontal position and is halted by the oppositeside wall, whereupon the carrier rolls forwardly down the floor towardsthe door and onto the forward floor portion, the carrier beingthereafter manually removable from the chamber when the motor isenergized in its door opening direction and the door is open, thesending tube being generally vertically disposed with its inlet exposedthrough an aperture in the floor disposed intermediate the chamber sidewalls and immmediately behind the rear face of the door, whereby thechamber forms no part of the path of the air circulating through thetube system.
 2. The kiosk station of claim 1 wherein the door ishorizontally hinged along a lower edge to the kiosk station for outwardpivoting movement from a closed to an open position when the motor isenergized in its door opening direction, the rear portion of the floorbeing fixed while said foward portion thereof is secured adjacent thelower edge of the door for pivoting outward movement therewith, wherebya carrier supported on the forward floor portion as aforesaid istransported outwardly of the chamber when the door is opened asaforesaid.
 3. The kiosk station of claim 2 wherein the control circuitincludes first sensing means carried by the forward floor portion andresponsive to the presence or not of a carrier thereon and actuatingmeans successively responsive to the arrival and departure of acustomer''s vehicle at and from the station, the first sensing meanswhen a carrier is thereon and the actuating means together energizingthe motor in its door opening direction upon said arrival, the actuatingmeans and the first sensing means upon redeposit thereafter of a carrierupon the forward floor portion by the customer together energizing themotor in its door closing direction to close the door upon saiddeparture, the actuating means being disposed upon a driveway before thekiosk station and responsive to the weight of a vehicle passingthereover.
 4. The kiosk station of claim 3 wherein, after the motor hasbeen enrgized in its door opening direction as aforesaid, the firstsensing means upon the removal of a carrier from the forward floorportion by a customer also enrgizes the blower; and wherein, afterredeposit thereafter of the carrier upon the forward floor portion bythe customer, the first sensing means and the actuating means togetheralso de-energize the blower upon said vehicle departure.
 5. The kioskstation of claim 1 in combination with a teller station for bankingemployees, the carrier sending and receiving tubes interconnecting thekiosk and teller stations, the sending tube at the teller station havinga carrier inlet and a sending valve downstream of the inlet with respectto the direction of travel of a carrier therein, the receiving tube atthe teller station having a carrier outlet and a receiving valveupstream of the outlet with respect to the direction of travel of acarrier therein, the sending and receiving tubes at the teller stationbeing pneumatically interconnected Downstream of the sending valve andupstream of the receiving valve with respect to the direction of travelof a carrier in the sending and receiving tubes, the sending valve atthe teller station being effective to close off the inlet at the tellerstation from the tube system except when a carrier is inserted thereinfor sending therethrough, and the receiving valve being effective toclose off the outlet at the teller station from the tube system exceptwhen a carrier is received therefrom through the outlet; and wherein thecontrol circuit includes first sensing means carried by the forwardfloor portion and responsive to the presence or not of a carrierthereon, second sensing meaes responsive to the sending of a carrierfrom the kiosk to the teller station, the first sensing means uponremoval of the carrier from the forward floor portion and the secondsensing means upon the sending thereafter of the carrier as aforesaidtogether energizing the motor in its door closing direction to close thedoor and third sensing means responsive to return of the carrierthereafter from the teller to the kiosk station, the first and thirdsensing means together energizing the motor in its door openingdirection to open the door when the carrier has arrived in the chamberand upon the forward floor portion.
 6. The combination of claim 5including customer actuated means, the actuated means when actuated by acustomer and the first sensing means when a carrier is thereupontogether energizing the motor to open the door.
 7. The combination ofclaim 6 wherein the first sensing means, when the carrier is removedfrom the forward floor portion by the customer after the door is openedas aforesaid, also energizes the blower.
 8. The combination of claim 7wherein the second sensing means, when the carrier is sent by thecustomer from the kiosk station and arrives at the teller station asaforesaid, also de-energizes the blower; and wherein the third sensingmeans, when the carrier is returned to the kiosk station from the tellerstation as aforesaid, also enregizes the blower.
 9. The combination ofclaim 8 wherein the actuated means is disposed upon a driveway beforethe kiosk station and is successively responsive first to the weight ofa customer''s vehicle arriving before the kiosk station and second tothe weight of the vehicle departing from the kiosk station, the firstsensing means upon redeposit thereafter of the carrier upon the forwardfloor portion by the customer and the actuated means upon said departurealso together de-energizing the blower.